A troubled ex-cop is imprisoned for a hit-and-run accident. He discovers that the entire penitentiary is controlled by an inmate who has been running a crime syndicate with the help of the warden and guards which provides them 100% alibi.

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An up-righteous police officer with a wife and son gets involved with a conspiracy after he arrested a murderer by chance. His weakness was his son needed an operation to treat his legs. Which path to choose? Righteousness or conspiracy?

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Life of a upcoming Korean patriot Park Yeol, who formed the anarchist organization "Black Wave" during the Japanese colonial period and attempted the assassination of the Japanese Crown Prince Hirohito.

Storyline

AN EX-COP CONVICT JOINS A SECRET CRIME SYNDICATE WITHIN THE PRISON At nights, prisoners leave the prison to commit perfect crimes. Ik-ho is an inmate who wields king like absolute power in the prison. Yoo-gun is a new inmate charged with a hit-and-run accident, destruction of evidence and bribery. He is a famous ex-detective with a 100% arrest record. Ik-ho pays attention to Yoo-gun who has a strong will and hot temper. Soon enough, Yoo-gun joined the Ik-ho's crime empire as a major part to control the world from the within.

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User Reviews

The ex police officer, Yu-gon Song, is incarcerated for a hit-and-run accident. He's now surrounded by convicts who rest assured don't like any police officers hanging out with them. Yu-gon Song soon finds out that everybody in the prison follows the order of the inmate Ik-Ho Jung, who runs the prison from the inside like a crime lord, who is respected even by the prison guards and the warden. In order to survive, Yu-gon Song has to win Ik-Ho Jung's trust.

'The Prison' focuses on the relationship between the two inmates Yu-gon Song and the Ik-Ho Jung. The movie takes its time to develop this relationship, with a relatively slow pace. The pay-off for the slow pace is great though, as you learn more about the rich and complex characters. Ik-Ho Jung in particular was deeply interesting to me, a crime lord who is both cruel and dignified, both meditative and power-hungry. Most of the time he walks around the prison calmly with an emotionless face, but then at times his pent-up anger and viciousness breaks out in a truly visceral fashion.

Everything is set in bleak color palettes, shades of grey and brown. One feels cold and damp watching this movie. The atmosphere is super thick. And just about when I felt that the movie was going to bore me with its drabness, the plot went into a completely different direction from what I originally expected. A few twists towards the end build up towards a truly epic conclusion, one that asks deep questions about crime, loyalty and morality.

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